Service Children Support Network - RAF Benevolent Fund

SCSN
Service Children Support Network
In this issue….
Life as an SCSN Intern!
The 2012 Photo Competition Results.
Living with PTSD - A Family’s Experience.
Sharing Best Practice to
support Service Children
Summer 2012

SCSN
I can hardly believe that it’s been 3 months
since I last wrote for our SCSN newsletter, time
seems to fly by so quickly! So on with the
news… We recently extended a warm welcome
to our first SCSN Intern, Katherine Grove. She
threw herself into all aspects of our work and
has even written a number of articles for this
edition of the newsletter. She has just
graduated from her secondary PGCE course and
will leave us at the end of June to take up her
first teaching role. We wish her every success in
the future, it has been a delight to have her
with us.
Our spring seminars and training events went
very well and it was great to meet so many of
you at the Universities of Oxford, Warwick, and
Reading and at the Vulnerable Children
Conference in Buckinghamshire. We will host a
number of other events this summer and
autumn and I look forward to meeting many
more of you then. I have also attended 2
National Conferences over the past few weeks
and both provided much food for thought. The
Royal British Legion Stakeholders’ Conference
at the start of May encouraged us to reflect on
our current challenges and constraints and to
look to the future and continue to work in
partnership with each other.
The SSAFA Additional Needs and Disabilities
Conference focused on Service families who
have children with additional needs. Hearing
families speak about their experiences was both
eye-opening and inspirational and while
chatting to Mums and Dads over coffee, it was
obvious that many families feel that
professionals are failing their children. I want to
follow up on this and I would really like to hear
more from parents and professionals alike.
Thank you to all the children who entered our
‘Through the Eyes of a Service Child’ 2012
Photographic Competition. There were so many
wonderful entries that it was very tough job for
our judges! I hope you enjoy looking at the
winning entries later in this edition.
Congratulations all 12 winners and I look
forward to meeting them at the official
presentation in August at the RAF Museum
London. Of course I must thank our three
judges Jenny Green OBE, Christine Druce and
Iain Duncan for giving up their time.
On the research front, Dr Grace Clifton, the
SCSN Academic & Research Advisor, is working
hard on our first SCSN Research Conference
which will take place on 10 September at the
University of Oxford. Places are filling up
quickly so I urge you to book soon as we only
have a few places left.
We are delighted to announce that the
SCSN/Buckinghamshire County Council/Halton
School Project has again won funding from the
MOD £3M Service Children Fund. This will
enable us to extend our Service Children
Support Project in Buckinghamshire still further.
Our two new ‘Service Children Support
Coordinators’ are now fully trained and very
busy with their new roles in schools and you
can hear directly from them in this issue.
I would like to thank the Independent on
Sunday for including me in this year’s Happy
100 list and for giving me the chance to further
promote the work of SCSN. I would also like to
thank the University of Oxford for recognising
the contribution of SCSN and the importance of
Service Children’s life experiences. It was an
enormous privilege to receive a Vice
Chancellor’s Civic Award at this year’s
‘Encaenia’ Ceremony and to be honoured
alongside some truly inspiring guests including
Nobel Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi.
Finally we would love to hear how your Service
Children £3M projects are progressing as well
as catching up with what’s going on in your
area. Please send any newsletter articles and
photographs to us using the usual address:
contact@servicechildrensupportnetwork.com
The closing date for receipt is 20 August 2012.

“Everything will be OK”
- One family’s struggle with PTSD.
Deborah Harrison, Professor of Sociology at the
University of New Brunswick, Canada, who has
been researching Canadian military families
since 1990, sent us this article by Isabel Angell,
NPR News, Washington DC . Deborah says “The
article is about William and his family and their
struggle with his PTSD. Although William is a
Police Officer I think his story has real relevance
to Service families living with a loved one with
PTSD”.
SCSN would like to thank Isabel Angell for
allowing us to reprint her article and remind
readers that Deborah will be one of the guest
speakers at the SCSN Academic Conference that
is taking place at Oxford University in
September.
“Everything Will Be Okay”: One Family’s
Struggle With PTSD (post-traumatic stress
disorder) has been getting a lot of attention
recently as soldiers return from the wars in
Afghanistan and Iraq. But PTSD can also affect
civilians. William Edwards developed PTSD after
witnessing a fatal shooting while on duty as a
police officer in Camarillo, California. His life –
and the lives of his family members – has never
been the same since.
Williams Edwards joined the Camarillo Police
Department when he was just 21. He needed a
way to support his wife and baby daughter,
Dori. He was a good cop, but looking back, he
says he doesn’t think he was suited for the
profession – perhaps he was too sensitive.
The daily hardships of the job had already been
catching up with William when he was involved
in a shooting while on duty six years ago. That
night, a young gang member tried to run
William over with his car. Dori remembers that
as the night everything changed.
William would display extreme mood swings,
from being almost catatonic and sitting on the
couch unresponsive, to completely disappearing
from the house. Dori remembers sometimes
she wouldn’t see him for days at a time; she
didn’t even know where he was.
William says sometimes he lived out of his car
and slept in the station parking lot. Today, it
bothers him that his fellow officers knew this
and didn’t do anything. Even when he tried to
seek help at his station, he was denied.
“There were several instances where I tried to
turn in my badge and my gun and express to my
department that I was incapable of returning to
work,” he says. “You know, it’s that macho
profession and you just put your boots back on
and go to work.”
Dori says her mother would call the station over
and over, even reading them the symptoms for
PTSD over the phone from the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual, the professional guide to
mental disorders. But nothing happened.
“No one would help because they didn’t want
that bad rep on their station,” she says.
Meanwhile, things kept getting worse for
William.
“There was no light at the end of the tunnel,
there was nothing, it was just darkness,”
William says. “And I didn’t see any way out. And
that’s when I started to feel like I was absolutely
useless to my daughter, to my wife, and I just
wanted to release them of that burden.”
One time, Dori remembers finding her father in
a closet with a gun to his head. She also recalls
another time when she and her mother found
him about to hang himself in their garage.
“That was always one of my biggest fears, that
one day I would get the call or I would wake up
and he would be gone forever… not just 50
miles away doing who knows what, but that he
would just never come back,” Dori says.

But Dori never gave up on her father. She
remembered when she was little and afraid to
go to sleep, her dad would tell her that
everything would be okay. She never forgot
how comforting that was to her. Even when he
would lay on the bed, unable to move, she
would tell him that everything would be okay.
William remembers this part, and says that
knowing his daughter still loved him helped him
hold on and survive the tough times.
Our Cover Girl!
- the story behind that kiss…
‘Blowing a Kiss’
by Connie Hickman-Tinnieswood.
Dori and her father William.
Today, William is doing much better. He retired
from the force three years ago and now owns
two businesses: a property inspection firm and
a photography studio. He and Dori’s mother
have since separated, but the family remains
close to this day. Dori is a freshman at UCLA.
Forthcoming Events
16th July 2012 ‘Building Resilience in Service
Children’ Speakers - Ros Hearne, Educational
Psychologist, Warwickshire, and Katie Alvey,
Educational Psychologist Oxfordshire. This is a free
event but please reserve a place by email to:
contact@servicechildrensupportnetwork.com
September 2012 ‘Introductory Training Day’ Suffolk
– more details to follow soon.
September 2012 ‘Service Children: Implications and
Mitigations’ Cornwall – more details to follow soon.
Remember that SCSN offer bespoke training days to
meet the needs of LA staff, schools, governors and
other health and welfare professionals as required.
For more details please email:
contact@servicechildrensupportnetwork.com
This issue of the SCSN Newsletter is graced by
our very own Cover Girl! As you will see later,
Connie won first prize in the age 6-9 category in
the SCSN Photographic Competition with her
photo entitled ‘Blowing a Kiss’.
The story behind Connie’s photograph was
particularly moving. Her Mum, Natalie Hickman
wrote: When Connie was two years old her
brave Royal Marine daddy died of a brain
tumour, which was a horrendous time for me
and Connie. We re-located back to Plymouth
the following summer so we could be closer to
family and friends. Soon, we began to re-build
our lives, remembering and missing Simon
(Connie's daddy, my husband) every day. Two
years later I met someone (Alex) who would
you believe it was in the army! The friendship
developed into a fantastic relationship; Alex is
now a wonderful father to Connie and nearly six
years on, they are joined at the hip! Last year
Alex was in Afghanistan for seven months and
Connie and I missed him very much. Connie
would keep an eye on the news and be very
fraught at any fatalities or casualties fearing
that the worse would happen again. I'm glad to
report Alex returned to us safe and sound.

Schools - Support our Forces
on Friday 12th October
RWB Day is a chance for your school to show support for families
of our Armed Forces. By taking part you can raise money to
suppor t children who have mums or dads serving in the Army,
Royal Navy & Royal Marines or Royal Air Force.
To get involved you just need to have fun with a red, white and
blue theme - you can dress up in red, white and blue, run a themed
event, do a sponsored activity or enter our poetry competition.
We suggest that anyone taking part should at least donate a
pound and dress up in one or all of the colours. It’s that simple!
All the money
raised will be
used to support
the work of:
www.redwhiteblueday.co.uk

SCSN Profile
Name:
Emma Cheedy - Service Children
Support Coordinator
So what’s your background
I have been married for almost 13 years to Paul, who is serving in the RAF, and we have
two children. Before getting married, I was a Civil Servant working with the RAF Police and
Security Flight at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. Since having the boys, I have spent most of my
time volunteering with various Service charities and organisations, and gained
a Diploma in Child Day Care. Once the boys were both in school, I started working in the
Foundation class of a school with a high percentage of Service children.
What does your role entail
I support five schools in the RAF High Wycombe area that have Service children. My day is
spent visiting one, maybe two, of the schools and the children with whom I am working,
planning the activities I will be doing with each child or group on our next meeting,
keeping my records and notes up-to-date, updating head teachers, contacting outside
agencies or new schools any of the children may be moving to which could be anywhere in
the world.
What has been your experience so far
Some parts have been challenging! Some schools feel that parents won't like the Service
children being singled out or parents think, 'What does she know about how we live' But,
once the parents realise that I am 'one of them' everything seems to fit into place! Parents
are very pleased that the schools have this opportunity and all feel it will be of benefit not
just to the children but the Service family as a whole. I am really enjoying the work and
find it very rewarding.
What are the key issues that you have encountered
I have been doing lots of work on Transitions where children have been
moving to new schools . Lots of the children I have been working with
seem to be moving overseas at the moment which presents
additional challenges! I have also been supporting children who
have a parent deployed overseas and helping them to cope with
the effects on the family as a whole. I have also found that a
number of parents have been having problems when applying for
places in schools for their children when they have been posted to
new areas so I have been helping them to sort things out.

in the RAF. “Instead, I am just about to start my
first ‘proper’ job for 10 years, something I didn’t
think I would be able to do being married to the
RAF, in the form of my husband Paul, and the
transient lifestyle that comes with his job.”
An RAF wife has become one of the first to find
work using an innovative new company set up
to help military spouses. Emma Cheedy started
work in April as a Service Children Support
Coordinator for the Service Children Support
Network after registering with Recruit for
Spouses, a website established by the wife of a
serving Army officer. Heledd Kendrick set up
the company in response to the struggles faced
by many service spouses to find work.
The company, which donates all profits to
service charities, allows forces spouses to
register on its website free of charge.
Employers then pay a small fee to advertise jobs
and access the database of spouses with skills
ranging from shop floor to boardroom level. Its
patron is Lady Jean O’Donoghue, wife of
General Sir Kevin O’Donaghue, who described
Recruit for Spouses as “a great opportunity (for
spouses) to re-enter the workplace and prove
that we really can make a valuable and
worthwhile contribution to employers
countrywide.”
She said: “Recruit for Spouses will give spouses
the confidence to show their real worth.
Spouses have a wide range of skills and talents.
Many are highly qualified but have had to put
their talents on hold, or channel them into
unpaid occupations because of the vagaries of
service life and the raising of a family. Although
the latter affects civilians as well, I think that
there are additional responsibilities attached to
being a spouse of a serviceman or
servicewoman; there will be times when the
spouse is the sole carer; there will be big
upheavals in the children's lives which only the
spouse can deal with because of service
commitments.“
Emma, who has two sons – Dylan, aged 10 and
Rhys, 8, said she thought she faced permanent
unemployment while her husband was serving
Dylan was born in Cyprus, but the family left
when he was eight weeks old, and before his
first birthday had moved from RAF Akrotiri to
RAF Aldergrove in Northern Ireland to RAF Brize
Norton. Rhys was born whilst the family was at
RAF Brize Norton and the Cheedys remained
there for more than eight years, before moving
first to RAF Daws Hill then, after 15 months, to
RAF High Wycombe.
Emma and her family.
Limited to volunteering work or school jobs, like
many military spouses, Emma became an active
member of The Royal British Legion Branch in
Carterton, helping with fundraising for the
Poppy Appeal. She was also a SSAFA Forces
Help In-Service Volunteer and was the
Community Volunteer Coordinator at RAF Brize
Norton, Beaver Scout Leader for the 2nd Brize
Norton Air Scout Group and was offered,
through volunteering in school, a job as a
lunchtime supervisor.
She said: “I had come to realise that if I wanted
to work it needed to be in a school environment
or from home.

I needed to be around for the boys and this
became all too obvious when Paul was deployed
to Afghanistan for six months in 2009. Without
family close by and the school holidays to deal
with it would have been impossible for me to
have worked when daddy being away became
too much for Dylan to cope with.
“As most military wives will say ‘we just get on
with it’; we give up our own career paths to
raise our families and follow our husband’s
careers. It can be very lonely and disheartening
sometimes, especially when job hunting is
limited as you don’t know how long you will be
in one place.
“Recruit for Spouses is a fantastic concept.
Military spouses can look at the jobs advertised
by employers who understand that it is in some
cases only short term work and it is work that is
‘local’ to where people are based or from
home. The employers will be giving so much
more than just a job and in return there is a
pool of work skills, qualifications and experience
in the form of military spouses looking for work.
“So I’ve started my new job. I am nervous and
excited; Paul’s work is disappointed as I will no
longer spend all my time baking. As to what I
am going to spend my first pay packet on I’ve
seen a lovely pair of pink shoes…”
Joy O’Neill, founder and chair of the Service
Children Support Network, said she knew how
forces spouses could struggle to find work. “As
a service wife I know how difficult it can be to
find meaningful work in a new area and as an
employer I know how important it is to recruit
the right person. Using Recruit for Spouses has
been a positive and professional experience.
Within a month I’d been able to appoint Emma,
a high calibre candidate for an important new
role. I will definitely use Recruit for Spouses
again to advertise future vacancies,” said Mrs
O’Neill.
*To register with Recruit for Spouses or find out
how to advertise jobs on the site,
visit www.recruitforspouses.co.uk or email
info@recruitforspouses.co.uk.
Marking the Jubilee!
in Buckinghamshire.
On Sunday, 27 th May 2012, the County of
Buckinghamshire celebrated The Diamond
Jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen in a Service of
Thanksgiving. The service, held at the Parish
Church of St Mary The Virgin, Aylesbury, was
arranged by the Chairman of Buckinghamshire
County Council, Mrs Marion Clayton.
Alan Wilson, the Bishop of Buckingham
delivered the address, while the High Sheriff of
Buckinghamshire, Mrs Carolyn Cumming and
Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of
Buckinghamshire, Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher,
Bt JP, gave the readings. Service Pupils from
Halton School, Alex in Year Six and Evie and
Nicholas both in Year Five also gave readings at
the service. The music was provided by St
Mary’s Choir and the High Wycombe Music
Centre Intermediate Choir. The service was
tremendously uplifting and all of the children,
readers and singers alike, made a splendid
contribution. The service was followed by a
scrumptious afternoon tea in the County
Museum Gardens, enjoyed by all.
We would be delighted to know how you
celebrated Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond
Jubilee. Please send any photographs and
articles to:
contact@servicechildrensupportnetwork.com
by the end of July.

Army Childhood
by Clare Gibson
Those who work alongside service children and,
of course, their parents and families, are well
aware of the ways in which these youngsters’
lives differ from those of children in civilian
communities, and of the challenges that they
face. Another group of people also has an
innate understanding of today’s service
children: those who were themselves once
army, air-force or navy ‘brats’. And not only do
they have personal experience of how service
life impacts on children, but the benefit of
hindsight also gives them a unique perspective
on the ways in which growing up as a forces’
child can continue to have a profound influence
later in life.
As the daughter, granddaughter and greatgranddaughter
of regular soldiers, I have always
been intrigued by the differences and
similarities in the experiences of army children
across the generations. It is a subject that has
been poorly documented and studied, however,
which is why I set up The Army Children Archive
(TACA) website (www.archhistory.co.uk) to
chronicle British army children’s history. As well
as looking back into the past, TACA also has an
eye on the present and future and tries to raise
awareness of the issues affecting today’s service
children, and to help them where it can.
Last year, I was commissioned by Shire Books to
write Army Childhood: British Army Children’s
Lives and Times. An illustrated outline of the
‘army-child experience’, Army Childhood
encompasses over three hundred years of army
children’s history, covering such areas as the
army’s changing attitude to its soldiers’ young
dependants; how they have been transported
to postings all over the world; and how and
where they have been housed, educated and
entertained. I hope that readers will find the
book interesting, and that it will provide them
with some informative and illuminating food for
thought.
Clare Gibson
Army Childhood: British Army Children’s Lives
and Times, by Clare Gibson, is a 64pp
paperback, published as part of Shire
Publications’ Shire Library series in May 2012.
RRP £6.99.
http://www.shirebooks.co.uk/store/Army-
Childhood_9780747810995
Child Bereavement Charity
Conference
2012
‘Grief and
bereavement in
schools – Let’s talk
about it’
Thursday 20 th September 2012 - University of
Warwick. A unique opportunity to learn directly
from bereaved young people and professionals.
Schools have a vital role to play in the lives of
bereaved children – up to 70% of schools have a
bereaved pupil on their role at any one time.
The programme will include presentations,
discussions and workshops.
If you are interested in finding out more or
booking a place please contact:
conferences@childbereavement.org.uk or
phone 01494 568910 at the Child Bereavement
Charity .

SCSN
Service Children Support Network
ACADEMIC
CONFERENCE
2012
‘Reflecting on Research and
Practice for the Children of
HM Forces Families’

‘Reflecting on Research and
Practice for the Children of
HM Forces Families’
Monday 10th September 2012
Dept of Education, University of Oxford, 15 Norham Gardens, Oxford. OX2 6PY
Coffee and Registration from 09.15 Finish 16.30
This one day Academic Conference will shine the spotlight on the research currently being undertaken in
the fields of education, psychology, and health relating to the life experiences of service children and
their families in the UK.
Our presenters will focus on the emerging issues in this under-researched area and consider the
implications for current and future policy development and practice.
Topics
· Families bereaved through military death
· Adolescents living through deployments
· Meeting the needs of military families with young children
· Military families coping with a child with special educational needs/disability
· Impact of having a military father on families.
The event will be of particular interest to:
· Academics working in universities and colleges of further and higher education
· Secondary, Primary and Early Years teachers and practitioners
· Researchers working within the fields of education, psychology, health and social care
· Local Authority Advisers and Consultants
· Professionals from education, psychology, health and social care
· Military Charities and Welfare Organisations
· Anyone dedicated to high-quality provision for Service children and families in the UK.
Early Bird Conference Fee: £50 (booked by 15th July 2012)
Conference Fee after 15th July: £65 (book by 31st August 2012)
Fee includes learning materials, refreshments and a light lunch.
To reserve a place please complete the Conference Booking Form and send it to
contact@servicechildrensupportnetwork.com
bookings will be confirmed by email or post.
Terms and Conditions
Payment required with booking - Fees are not refundable.

My Daddy’s
Going Away…
By Lt Col Chris MacGregor KRH
My children are now 8 and 6 years old. They
attend a small comprehensive primary school
near Reading and have just truly settled in.
They are now known by the staff and children
alike and have carved their niches.
At the end of this term, however, they will
move again to another school: the third for Ben
and the second for Ellie (this does not include
the various kindergartens and nurseries they
have been to in Germany and England). They
will have to mourn their lost friends and make
new ones, establish themselves once more in
the hierarchy of class politics, settle into new
teaching styles and environments and
demonstrate their talents and admit their
weaknesses once more.
The teachers will try hard to understand their
backgrounds and their previous reports, but
they will, inevitably, want to make their own
assessments of the children. In some regards,
this movement is a good thing. Military
children tend to be more confident and
accepting of change (and schools appear to
enjoy having them), but it is also destabilizing
and it is hard for the children. We will have
moved house over their school summer
holidays and while they are settling into their
new home and school, both their Mum and Dad
will start new jobs.
I was on a 9 month operational tour to HQ ISAF
Joint Command in Kabul over much of the last
year and I am very proud of their resilience. In
part, this has been developed by their lifestyle
to date and their parenting, but as many
readers will attest, it has not been easy.
Only I asked for these circumstances, but (for
the time being) my family follow and for that I
am very grateful. It is no surprise that military
families, who move as the military machine
dictates, are in the spotlight right now. They
(you) deserve to be. There should be no
sacrifice on their part for my career serving this
country - but at times I know that they offer
more than they know. It is my job as a father
and as a serving officer to mitigate that as best I
can for both my family and others. If we are to
ensure that a smaller, more effective, military
can prosper in the future, with potentially more
reservists and less regular Service personnel, a
holistic approach to family welfare must exist. I
came to this obvious conclusion as a Company
Commander in Iraq in 2007 and from that
moment, started to think about the mutual
benefits to the organization, its personnel, their
families and children of better support to
Service families and their children. When we go
on holiday I know that if my wife will only be
happy if the childcare is excellent and the
children are happy - if not, I face severe
reprimand. The same philosophy should exist
when it comes to our working environment too;
if we are to function well in war zones around
the world, there should be as little conflict at
home as possible.

One aspect of achieving that is understanding
the stresses of separation. On the plane back
from Basra, I wrote the first half of a poem for
my children to explain my absence. As I realized
the benefits that it might have for others, it
developed with reference to the Emotional
Cycle of Deployment into a colour picture book
called My Daddy’s Going Away… that has now
sold over 8000 copies worldwide to schools and
Dads in all walks of life.
It is not surprising that there is an increased
focus on the issue of paternal separation.
A father’s departure is not just a personal issue
for kids or a problem for mums. Paternal
separation may have a very real affect on how
Dads feel about themselves and how they
perform when conducting the business that has
sent them away from their families. Emotional
health and well-being are increasingly
important to families and businesses alike. We
all know that there is a definite link between an
emotional state and behavior: a happy worker
is a better worker... and a happy parent is a
better parent.
methods for staying in contact over the tour
and demonstrate that it is not the fault of the
child that their father has had to go away.
Better still, the book might even inspire more
dads to read to their children - at which, as a
nation, we do not yet excel.
From the feedback that I have received from
families and schools alike, it appears that the
My Daddy's Going Away... book and
website does help all those families who have to
endure temporary separation from each other.
With a small team from The University of
Reading, I hope to start writing teaching packs
for schools that will help teachers better
understand separation and its effects on their
children - and yes, I promise that I am writing
My Mummy’s Going Away…!
It was in my interest to have soldiers fighting for
me without distraction from domestic issues.
As I understand it, good comprehensive support
prior to, and during, a period of separation will
help:
• Dads focus more on their mission,
whatever that might be, and become
more effective and efficient at work,
and;
• the family left at home to bond and
work collaboratively together.
Because the verses of the poem are linked to
the Emotional Cycle of Deployment, every page
of My Daddy's Going Away… can act as a
catalyst for discussion and can be used to
educate children and thus permit families to
cope better. They provide a medium through
which parents and teachers can explore the
process of deployment, separation anxiety,
My Daddy’s Going Away… is a great little
storybook that supports children and families
through paternal separation. The foreword was
kindly written by HRH Prince Charles, The Prince
of Wales and a proportion of profits go to
Service charities.
Please follow progress of these initiatives and
more on the Facebook page and visit the
website now for loads of tips and tricks on
coping with separation
www.mydaddysgoingaway.com.

SCSN Profile
Name:
Helen Brettell - Service Children
Support Coordinator
So what’s your background
My Dad was in the Army, so I have grown up with the Forces. We moved around every 2-3 years and I spent
the majority of my childhood in Germany where we lived in "quarters" with other military families. My Dad
went away a lot, sometimes deployed to places like Ireland, the Gulf and Bosnia, but also on courses and for
sport. I eventually married my husband who is in the RAF. We have had various postings in the UK: 5 Years in
Hampshire, 7 years in Scotland, 18 months in Norfolk, 2 years 9 months in Oxfordshire and now we're at
Halton where we've been for 14 months. I spent many years as a PA until I had children. After a period of
time at home with my children, I returned to work in Oxfordshire at the Children's Centre. Here, I went on to
gain my NVQ3 in Childcare Learning and Development and numerous courses relevant to the job. I gained
valuable experience as every day was different and there were many family issues, including forces families.
What does your role entail
Key to the role is the ability to empathise with the child and their family at times of change or when they are
feeling unsettled. Initially, I help new children to settle into school by spending time with them to help
alleviate their worries and fears. Also, at times of deployment I will meet with the children regularly and we
will write e-blueys to their parent or make things to send out to them. If a child (or their family) feels that
they need extra support, I am available to spend some one-to-one time with them at school. The schools
that I am working with are very receptive and understand the need for additional support for Service
children. Feedback from the school suggests that the parents think it's a good idea too. The children are very
receptive and seem to enjoy the one-to-one time. It is still very early days so I'm trying to build rapport with
children, parents and teachers so I expect my experience to be very different in the coming months.
What does that mean day to day
I've had a couple of children leaving from 2 different schools so for each child I put together a leaving journal.
This included various photos: one of them in their school uniform, their teacher, friends, classroom,
playground and whatever was special to them in their school. This was put together with a page at the back
to add names, addresses, and e-mail addresses of all the friends with whom they want to keep in contact.
We also looked at worried and happy cards and discussed how they were feeling about their
move. I used worry dolls with one child. I supported one little boy, who desperately
misses his older brother who is working away. We made something for him to send to
his brother as well as a Welcome home picture (he really seemed to enjoy the activity
and smiled all the way through!). Another little girl has been here for 6 months and
is fairly settled but talked about daddy finding out if he still had a job today
(redundancies are out today). If he's made redundant they will move back to their
old house which she would really like to do - this all came out as we were playing
with some pipe cleaners, making them into people and devising a story.
Over the coming year I hope to make the same difference to the families that Halton
CC school are making. I'm hoping that families won't be as worried about getting their
children into Halton School for the support because they will also get the same support
from the schools in which I am based.

‘Through the Eyes
of a Service Child’
The 2012 SCSN
Photographic Competition
We had an excellent response to the SCSN photography competition, ‘Through the Eyes of a
Service Child,’ which was launched earlier this year in collaboration with the Royal Air Force
Museum. The judges, Iain Duncan, a photographer from the Department of Collections
Management at the Royal Air Force Museum, Christine Druce from See Saw Oxford and Jenny
Green OBE had a real challenge in selecting the winners. The photographs submitted, varied
greatly in subject matter, each revealing an insight into the life of a Service Child. The single flower
on a barren tree, perhaps, symbolises this point. Christine Druce from See Saw Oxford
commented, “It is clear that, in many cases, participants had put a lot of careful consideration into
how they wanted to convey their message. As a result, the images were a moving and thoughtprovoking
portrayal of ‘life as seen through the eyes of a service child’.” Similarly, Jenny Green
noted, “I was struck by how poignant the photos were and how even some very young children
captured the emotional impact of dad's service life on the family. It was a privilege to see the
photos.”
The winning photographs will be displayed to the public in the Royal Air Force Museum, London.
The winners of the 1 st , 2 nd , and 3 rd place in all four categories will be awarded a generous selection
of prizes from the Royal Air Force Museum shop. All 12 winners will be invited to a prize giving
ceremony at the Royal Air Force Museum London, on 24 August 2012, where they will be able to
view their photographs on display. The winning images will then be published in the Service
Children Support Network’s calendar for 2012, raising valuable funds for the charities, ‘Red, White
and Blue Day’ and ‘The Forces Children’s Trust.’ Keith Ifould, Director of Commercial Services at
the Royal Air Force Museum commented: The Service Children Support Network provides valuable
support to educational professionals who work with Service Children, enabling such children to
reach their full potential in the classroom whilst at the same time providing practical help and
advice to the partners of active serving personnel. Accordingly, I am very happy for the Royal Air
Force Museum to lend its support to the Service Children Support Network in the promotion of its
annual photography competition, and the subsequent creation of its 2013 calendar, in support of a
number of charities work.
SCSN would also like to take this opportunity to thank the judges for giving up their valuable time
and also the Royal Air Force Museum for their support.

The Under 5’s
Daddy, I broke
my arm!
By Molly Wallace, Mullion,
Cornwall.
2nd Place
Welcome Home!
By Callie Jacobs, Exmouth, Devon.
3rd Place
In Daddy’s Helmet.
By George Anderson, Shrewsbury, Shropshire

The 6 to 9’s
Blowing a Kiss!
By Connie Hickman-Tinnieswood,
Plymouth, Devon.
2nd Place
Daddy’s Home!
By Bethan Mary Adams,
Martock, Somerset.
3rd Place
Present from Daddy.
By Rhys Cheedy, High Wycombe,
Buckinghamshire.

The 10 to 13’s
My Brother
speaking to my
Dad.
By Joe Kelly,
Hohne, Germany.
2nd Place
The Journey.
By Molly Barnard, Celle, Germany.
3rd Place
Moving Boxes.
By Dylan Cheedy,
High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

The 14 to 18’s
Alone in the Wood.
By Darien Harrodine,
High Wycombe,
Buckinghamshire.
2nd Place
Flower.
By Sian Murray,
Thirsk, North Yorkshire.
3rd Place
The Beach.
By Darien Harrodine,
High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

News from the Tidworth Cluster
Tidworth Garrison is home to 2 Brigades, 14 major units and many smaller independent units and
probably has the largest number of deployable soldiers in one place in the UK. Consequently, at
any one time, a high proportion of children across the local schools in this area have parents on
operations. There is evidence in local schools, and from a recent Ofsted report on Children in
Service Families, which identifies that family mobility and parental deployment affects service
children’s behaviour in a number of ways. Non-service children are also exposed to these
behaviours within such a close community, and also have to deal with student cohorts changing on
a regular basis. The emotional and social well-being state is often altered not only when a parent is
deployed but often in the lead up to it and when the parent returns (including periods of R&R)
and frequently has a detrimental affect resulting in deteriorating behaviour.
This project, funded through the MOD Support Fund for Schools with Service Children, has
emerged through consultation and on-going work across the Tidworth Cluster of schools with the
Army Welfare Service. Joint working between Extended Services and Bath Spa University (the
Centre of Education Policy in Practice, schools of Education) has supported a collaborative
approach to this project, which in essence wants both service and non-service children living in the
Armed Service Community to benefit in a number of ways:
• Children’s Agencies and quality of life will be enhanced by equipping them with knowledge,
skills and opportunities to influence local decisions that impact on their lives. Such
activities will also contribute to developing their emotional and social resilience enabling
them to better voice their needs and for these to be met.
• Raising awareness and developing skills within school staff on issues relating to Children’s
Rights, agency and participation methodologies can impact positively on school activities
and, in doing so, provide opportunities for children to influence decisions that impact on
their education.
• In working collaboratively across the cluster of local primary schools, the children and staff
will benefit from a broad range of peer-support and peer-to-peer learning opportunities.
This will also strengthen joint working and hence further access to agency resources
e.g. counselling.
• Local, regional and national agencies working with children and their families will have
access to improved intelligence to ensure that their services are equipped to meet the
specific needs of children living in Armed Services Communities.

We chose the Learning to Lead Programme as the concept is a very deliberate and specific
approach to support student leadership. Its rationale rests on the belief that when schools take on
characteristics of communities, they enable all community members to exercise human agency –
that capacity can be purposeful and influence their own environment.
The initial focus has been with the Year 5 pupils in our primary schools, supported by staff who
received the Learning to Lead training, and who meet as a local network to explore how this
programme can be fully utilised. Within each school pupils have formed teams to identify aspects
which they feel would benefit from their input, and opportunities they wish to get involved in.
Year 5 teachers have used the Learning to Lead tools to facilitate this participation which has
prompted a range of ideas and input ranging from:
• Pupils organising and coordinating the management of the classroom.
• Pupils re organising the layout of classrooms and how they work together has seen a
change in behaviours.
• Setting up interest clubs i.e. art, sports, decoration (seasonal decorations for the classroom).
• Leading warm up sessions for PE .
• Fund raising for a range of resources from a sofa for their book corner to equipment for
Golden Time.
• Developing Wet Play and Wet Play Monitors.
• Developing a School Newspaper.
• Year 4 pupils now being involved in a Toilet team to resolve any issues around their use.
As pupils, staff and schools work
together to develop skills, experience
and commitment to support the
‘Learning to Lead’ approach within the
school environment, the longer-term aim
is to extend potential impact to the wider
Tidworth Community. Specifically to
develop child-friendly environments and
practices in the out-of-school setting,
enabling pupils to collaborate with for
e.g. The Tidworth Community Area Board
to influence local decision making on a
range of issues affecting children living in
the Tidworth Garrison including those
related to the specific impact of deployment and mobility.
For more information on Learning to Lead please see www.learningtolead.org.uk

Associated work - Throughout the Tidworth and Ludgershall area, with its mix of civilian and army
local organisations and agencies, we aim to work collaboratively. Earlier this year we saw a large
number of troops deploying and in preparation we formed a small group to work with some Unit
Welfare Officers. The Multi Agency Deployment Forum aims to:
• Promote military-civilian integration.
• Provide emotional and practical support to
families living in the garrison or dispersed in
the wider community.
• Support families to build resilience in children
to cope with army life.
• To promote stronger and safer communities.
• To improve outcomes for vulnerable families.
Research has shown that Army Families encounter additional stress factors throughout their lives
which, without adequate support, will impede on child development, well-being, happiness and
future opportunities. Main purposes for this forum:
• To raise awareness of Army Families lifestyles and especially at times of Deployment.
• To work in partnership with all relevant agencies to achieve a robust package of support.
• To pool resources with other agencies to deliver training for staff to be better equipped to
support army families who experience loss and separation.
• To be aware of up-to-date research to inform the development of services.
• To identify and disseminate funding to support the work.
From this collaborative working we have seen closer links with the military and our schools;
increased good communication, INSET on Deployment delivered to our local teachers by UWOs
and Extended Services, and a ‘Whilst You’re Away’ art project set up as part of the Art Club at
Wellington Academy which will forward artwork to serving soldiers in Afghanistan.
‘Wiltshire Voices’ is a project that aims to find new ways of reaching out to people who do not, or
cannot, attend the council’s meetings. Wiltshire Voices aims to do this by talking and listening to
local people and recording their stories. Each project focuses on a specific group of people who
normally struggle to get their voices heard. 12 projects have been developed with the first pilot
being based around life in Tidworth for Army Wives. In this film the women share their personal
experiences of living in Tidworth and reflect on a range of issues including transport, housing,
health care, community safety, schooling, childcare and local facilities. The launch included an
opportunity for local partners to discuss the debate the DVD and the needs of this group and how
as a community we respond feeding into our own area Joint Strategic Needs Assessment. To view
the DVD go to http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/communityandliving/wiltshirevoices.htm

Oxford Encaenia 2012
Joy is honoured with
The Vice Chancellor’s Civic Award
and meets a truly Inspirational Woman!
On Wednesday 20 June , Joy and Kev O’Neill were delighted to be guests at the 2012 Oxford
University Encaenia where Joy was presented with a Vice Chancellor’s Civic Award. Joy, who is
about to complete her MSc at Oxford, was nominated by her Dean at Kellogg College for her work
with SCSN. The Encaenia Ceremony itself was held in the prestigious Sheldonian Theatre and was
conducted predominantly in latin!
The list of Honorands was very impressive and included Baroness Manningham-Buller (the
previous head of MI5), Mr David Cornwell (more widely known by his pen name - John le Carré)
and Professor Drew Faust (the President of Harvard). But this list of the great and the good was
somewhat overshadowed by the presence of the small, rather shy figure of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Ms Suu Kyi, who seemed a little overwhelmed by all the attention nevertheless stood and
addressed the audience with a confidence and depth of conviction that belied her slight build.
Quite rightly she drew a standing ovation and it was a real honour to have been present to hear
her speak from her heart. Then it was off to St Hugh’s College for a VIP lunch where the Civic
Awards were presented by the Vice Chancellor of the University. Joy was then taken aback by a
personal request from Aung San to meet her in person and discuss the work that she and SCSN
have been doing to improve the educational attainment of challenged children. Joy also found
herself sat next to Professor Faust (a world renowned historian specialising in the American Civil
War) at lunch and they discussed military family experiences from the perspective of both sides of
the Atlantic! A garden party in the magnificently manicured grounds of Worchester College where
strawberries and cream were consumed in the warmth of an all too rare sunny afternoon was a
perfect end to a wonderful day.

Life as an
SCSN Intern!
I am currently completing my Post Graduate Certificate in Education in English at Reading
University. As part of our PGCE course we are required to complete a Further Development
Placement, which could take you to Marwell Wildlife Park, the Roald Dahl Museum, or the Service
Children’s Support Network (if you’re lucky enough to be me) to name but a few! Having been in
the University of London Officers Training Corps for three years while at university, with a
Grandfather who was a Lt Colonel in the Irish Guards, and a boyfriend who is going to commission
into the Royal Anglians this summer, I have some military connections and knowledge of the
Armed Forces. So, when the time came and Reading University handed us a rather large booklet
filled with options for our FDP placement, I was instantly drawn to SCSN both for personal and
professional reasons – and I was fortunate enough to get it!
It immediately struck me as a varied and interesting placement. The brief summary included in the
booklet stated:
“SCSN works with schools, universities, Local Authorities, NHS Trusts, Military organisations,
charities and Military units across the UK and there may be an opportunity for some national
travel during the 3 weeks. A typical week would include elements of the following:
• Working to support Service children and their families in local schools;
• Liaising with multi agency professionals and military units to identify sources of support for
Service children and their families;
• Carrying out assessments in schools;
• Some elements of record keeping and administration;
• Staff development sessions;
• Project management;
• Preparing bids for future projects;
• Policy, planning and board meetings;
• Research;
• Partner work e.g. with Educational Psychologists or local charities.”
The potential opportunity to work with external agencies was something I was looking forward to
as I had not experienced much of this in my teaching placements.

No sooner had I found out what my placement was did I receive an email from Joy inviting me to
the Everyone Matters Additional Needs and Disability Conference, held by SSAFA at the MOD in
London. I was excited at the prospect of being in the MOD and intrigued by what this conference
would entail. The audience included a high percentage of persons with some kind of military
connection, particularly military families who shared their own experiences and asked questions
freely and challenged responses. The conference was eye opening and moving. I was shocked to
hear the difficulties that some parents face, simply trying to move schools or the battles that are
being fought by parents trying to receive the same medical prescriptions for their child from
county to county. If I was unaware of the issues that some parents in the military face and their
children with my military connections, how would teachers be aware of these situations with no
military knowledge.
On my second day I attended a committee meeting with, Joy, Kev and Dr Grace Clifton. I was given
the rather challenging role of taking down the Minutes, but eager to deliver I scrawled unreadable
notes throughout and frantically tried to decipher the scribbles as I typed these that evening. I was
amazed at the work that SCSN has been doing and to learn of its achievements in such a short
space of time, such as the two recently appointed SCSN Service Children Support Coordinators
(whose profiles are included in this newsletter) who have been providing support in local schools.
I couldn’t help but be impressed that Joy had managed to secure additional funds from the MOD
to recruit a third Service Children Support Coordinator. I also learnt of the “Through the Eyes of a
Service Child” Photography Competition, which followed on from the success of the Art
competition last year (the results of which are included in this newsletter). This was a moving
insight into the lives of Service Children.
In order to see and experience first-hand the role and support of the Service Children Support
Coordinators I went to Weston Turville school. Here, I was able to sit in on Helen’s weekly meeting
with a handful of pupils there. As it is early days Helen was simply talking with the pupils to build a
rapport with them while they decorated their folders. It was clear from the outset that many of
these children possess that element of “just getting on with it” passed on to them by their
parents. Nevertheless, they clearly value the time to speak with someone and share their thoughts
and feelings. Of the pupils that I met, many chose to draw a picture of their daddy on their folder
or an aspect of his military life. From the short time I have spent at Halton and RAF Benson, and
having met with parents of service children, it is apparent that the
fact that Emma, Helen, Caroline and Sue are all parents to service
children themselves is invaluable. I have also been fortunate
enough to attend a Trauma and Bereavement Workshop led by
David Trickey, a Consultant Clinical Psychologist. The idea of a
“workshop” filled me with dread and I hoped it wouldn’t be a
“traumatic” day – would I be expected to discuss my
experiences with a complete stranger As it would happen –
Yes! But it was not the traumatic experience I had feared.
Yes, we shared our experiences and discussed our thoughts
with one another, but I learnt so much more about
bereavement and trauma from having shared and
evaluated these experiences in light of the information
presented. We learnt so much about how the mind
worked; how it processed normal memories in contrast
with traumatic memories and the effects that this can
have upon children and young people.

As a trainee English teacher, soon to start my first teaching post in July, I couldn’t help but see
how valuable it was for me to learn not only the range of behaviour that may be demonstrated by
a pupil who has experienced a trauma or bereavement, but also to have a better understanding of
how best to support them. Interestingly, in a room filled with people I was the only teacher.
Indeed, as was pointed out later in the day it is teachers in our trusted positions and regular
contact with children that are often best placed to support a child who has experienced a trauma
or bereavement and yet I was the only one. A morning spent with a member of the Child
Bereavement Charity confirmed this as she explained that her role was to provide teachers and
schools with the tools to be able to talk with a pupil about a bereavement and how best to
support them. She took me through an information pack which discussed how schools could help
and the ways to support a bereaved pupil, parents, carers and Forces families. This was an
invaluable morning, given that 92% of children experience some form of bereavement, and
bereavement even of the family pet can have a significant impact. When my Springer Spaniel,
Heidi, died I was devastated and for a few days work didn’t get done and what was worse I wasn’t
bothered that it hadn’t been done. So it is not surprising that there may be a noticeable change in
a pupil’s work and/ or behaviour in school.
One day was spent in Halton Community Combined School, where I was able to see first-hand the
support on offer to Service Children and the role of the Family Support Worker. It is easy to see
how it achieved its grade of “Outstanding” by Ofsted in 2011:
“Despite potentially challenging barriers to learning, including the very high number of pupils
arriving and departing throughout the school year, almost all pupils make good or better progress.
This is because of the outstanding drive and determination shown by the headteacher and her
staff in getting to know and understand the pupils and their families, so that they can tailor
individualised learning programmes to meet their differing needs…The school has developed
excellent systems to help pupils settle quickly and to accelerate their learning. The
pioneering initiative to appoint a family support coordinator with expertise in working
with service families ensured the emotional well-being of pupils and their families
was at the forefront of the school's work, and this has created a safe and stress-free
environment in which pupils flourish.”
Having spoken with Caroline, the Family Support Worker at Halton School
about her role, it was interesting to see how broad it
has become, encompassing any issues children may
be facing, either in school or at home, and not just
the key issues of deployment and transition.
A morning spent with Charlotte Bradshaw of the
Transfer Support Team at Amersham Council
Services, clarified the idea behind the passport.
Ultimately, it is “an exciting resource to help pupils
joining and leaving primary school outside of normal
transfer times”. She also explained the role of the
Transfer Support Team and I spent the afternoon
observing a session at Ash Hill Primary School.

At RAF Benson I saw the passport in
action, with children drawing their
family and completing activities about
themselves that they would like to
share with their new school. It helps
the teacher get to know the pupil and
learn of any worries the pupil may
have so that they can support the
child where necessary. The pupils
thoroughly enjoyed their time and
were keen to share their work with
Sue Rolduson, their teacher, and each
other. Some pupils even shared their
thoughts and feelings about what it
was like to have a mummy or a daddy in the services. One little girl remarked rather amusingly,
“When daddy goes away, I’m happy and sad. I’m sad because I can’t see him, but I’m happy ‘cause
he gets more money so we can go on holiday!”
Meeting with and speaking with parents has been invaluable. The communication between
schools and parents is essential. Having only had a handful of opportunities to speak with parents
during my teaching placements, the ability to hear the thoughts and concerns of parents in an
informal environment, during coffee mornings with Emma, has highlighted that for most there is a
need for additional support for Service Children within schools. While nearly every mother I
listened to used the phrase, “We just get on with it,” it was clear that most would appreciate
support within school and someone for their child to talk to.
My time with SCSN has been a rollercoaster of emotions. At times I have fought back tears while
listening to a wife talk about her son crying every night because his daddy is in Afghanistan, or
reading the poems of children on display in RAF Benson, or the photo of a single flower on a
barren tree submitted for the photo competition. On long drives home, I’ve told myself to “Man
up!” At other times I have laughed at the
comments made by children and I have
thoroughly enjoyed my time with SCSN. On a
personal and somewhat selfish note, I have
lapped up the advice and top tips given to me
by parents and my colleagues with SCSN about
deployment and managing your children’s
expectations. The experiences I have had both
in school and from meeting with external
agencies will undoubtedly enrich my teaching
practice. My mentor, Joy, has been
inspirational – her drive, tenacity, and ability
to contact me at all hours of the day have
meant that I got the most out of this
placement for which I am truly grateful.
“It’s been following me around all
morning, I think it’s the Intern…”

contacts
For more information please contact
SCSN
By telephone on: 01296 625779
By e-mail at:
contact@servicechildrensupportnetwork.com
Or visit our website:
www.servicechildrensupportnetwork.com
SCSN
Sharing best practice
to support Service Children
Next Issue
The Autumn Issue will be published
in September 2012.
An Appeal from the Editor. These
newsletters will only be as
informative and interesting as the
articles it contains so please
consider submitting something for
publication. It doesn’t have to be a
masterpiece of prose, just be of
interest to your fellow members! It
might describe a particular event you
have organised or attended, it might
describe work that you have carried
out or an issue that you wish to bring
to wider attention. We are also
pleased to receive examples of work
from the Service children in your
area, a drawing or piece of poetry
related to their lives perhaps. Please
submit articles in word format
(together with any pictures you want
to use) to The Chair.
Editorial Note:
© SCSN 2012 - All rights reserved
The views expressed by the
contributors to this newsletter are not
necessarily those of the Editor,
SCSN, the MOD or any other
organisation. All precautions are
taken to ensure accuracy.